Doha, 11 November, Top civilian aviation officials from more 15 countries across the Middle East and Africa have gathered in Doha this week for a landmark seminar on aviation security, hosted by Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, and organized by the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO), in partnership with U.S. Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS) and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The Civil Aviation Security Week is a forum to exchange experiences and best practices on effectively enhancing aviation security in the region and around the world and discussing many topics, most notably the threats of drones to aviation and ways to protect the vital infrastructure of civil aviation and enhance cooperation in this field.
H.E. Mohamed Faleh Al Hajri, Acting Chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation State of Qatar, inaugurated the Civil Aviation Security Week
The opening was also attended by:
- H.E. Timmy Davis, U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar
- Ms. Aiste Ray, Director of the Office of Export Control Cooperation in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State
- Ms. Melanie Harvey, Executive Assistant Administrator for Security Operations, US TSA
- H.E. Eng Abedennebi Manar, Director General of Arab Civil Aviation Organization
During the opening session on November 11, H.E. Mohamed Faleh Al Hajri delivered a speech in which he stressed the need to devote efforts to protecting aviation, adding there is unprecedented progress and challenges imposed by modern technology, especially drone systems, which offer opportunities and at the same time pose new security concerns that require the establishment of legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure their optimal use and mitigate potential risks.
H.E. U.S. Ambassador Timmy Davis noted, “Civil aviation is about protecting human beings, reuniting families, and the opportunity for people to travel across borders. This can only be done if it’s secure and safe. Our relationship with Qatar provides us an opportunity to work to advance technology, to build connections, and to also ensure that our partners in civil aviation around the region, and around the world, are made better and more secure because of our work.”
In her opening remarks, Director Aiste Ray, from the U.S. Department of State, recognized the invaluable economic benefits of drones and stressed the importance of protecting civil aviation and civil aviation infrastructure from drone threats. Ms. Aiste Ray commended the participating nations for their commitment to aviation security and encouraged ongoing regional collaboration as a critical component to countering the dynamic threats posed by these systems.
Ms. Melanie Harvey noted, “This second edition of the TSA-ACAO Aviation Security week exemplifies our mutual commitment to exchange technical expertise with the objective of remaining ahead of emerging threats and enhancing aviation security.”
Mr. Abdennebi Manar, ACAO Director General, also gave opening remarks and said:
“The relationship between ACAO and the US TSA is very strong. Our mutually reinforcing partnership contributes to strengthening aviation security in Arab region and beyond. ACAO and the US TSA play complementary, and mutually reinforcing roles in supporting international Civil Aviation security. We will further mobilize the set of competencies at our disposal, to pursue our common objectives to the benefit of our community”.
Several U.S. government agencies supported the organizing of this week’s conference, including the Export Control and Border Security program at the U.S. Department of State, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.